“The guys are upset,” Jim Curtin began. “They’re angry.”
The Union had just dropped two points when they were the better team for the third straight match. Colorado grabbed a late tying goal and Philly couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities.
Ale Bedoya said after the game that if you don’t finish your chances, you won’t win games and that was the case tonight.
But for Curtin, the bigger issue was how the team handled the space on the pitch. “There was too much space tonight, we allowed the game to get end to end. We didn’t win the individual duals that we usually have won over the past games,” he stated coolly. “Colorado was difficult to play against, but again we still created 26 shots on goal which is a good number, it goes in waves a little bit because we have been a team that has been able to score goals this year, so it’s not a situation where we’re not creating anything.”
Marco Fabian’s return to action helped Philly push for a winner, but even with the Mexican international, Brenden Aaronson, and Jamiro Monteiro in midfield Philly couldn’t break down Conor Casey’s back line.
“Overall, Marco, a good 25 minutes or so including the extra time,” Curtin shared. “It’s great to have him back but we were just as a team not enough guys had good nights tonight.
“That’s the reality of this situation, and we’re a team that needs to have eight, nine guys at their very best to get results, and we’re just a little bit sluggish, a little bit off tonight.”
One player that continued to shine was Jamiro Monteiro. Curtin was asked about the Cape Verde international and noted that the midfielder is likely more comfortable in a slightly deeper role but still performed at a high level throughout the match.
“He probably could have had four assists if you add it up,” the head coach shrugged. “Almost had a goal at the end… I thought he was one of our few bright spots.
“He has a real urgency and intensity about him for the entirety of the 90 minutes.”
The match against Minnesota, Philly’s fourth straight against a team from the west, won’t be the walkover that it was last season. Curtin said the Loons have certainly improved this season, but that he still thinks his team is the one that has taken the bigger steps forward.
“If you would have signed up to be, at the beginning of June, in the part of the table that we’re at, we’d be happy with that,” he said. “But we do also have a bitter taste in our mouth because the past two games we deserved more.”
Curtin and his men won’t have to wait long to get rid of that taste — they travel to Minnesota for a Sunday matchup that kicks off at 4:00 p.m. ET on PHL17.
